Friendly Visitor (Kazan, Russian nuclear-powered submarine, Havana 2024) 2025 graphite on marble, 6 x 24 inches. Private collection.
According to the worrying headline signed by Guardian staff and agencies (a global news organization) on Thursday, June 6, 2024, “Russian nuclear submarine Kazan to visit Cuba amid rising tensions with the US,” something that alerted me to my concern, like anyone else with loved ones on the island. As tensions grew, I received a cheerful voice message—in Russian—from my friend Julio, “Русские прибыли!” (The Russians have arrived!). Accompanied by a photo of the aforementioned nuclear vessel, taken minutes earlier on Havana’s Malecón. The gravity and conditions of power fluctuate depending on the perception of each recipient. I was so impressed to compare my urgency with the joy of my friend—who in his youth had studied in the USSR—and who enjoyed the event with a kind of emotional nostalgia. So, I did my best to capture in my drawing a “tropical sunset” panorama, portraying visitors enjoying a peaceful Caribbean sunset.